What do Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, David Cassidy, Michael Jackson, Scott Baio and Justin Bieber all have in common? They have been some of the recent generations’ biggest teenage heartthrobs. As a “Zoomer,” I grew up with the king of the hair flip rather than the “King of Rock n’ Roll.
The years 2009-2012 can be summed up in three ways: “Baby” on repeat, Bieber posters and the Girlfriend perfume. I think I can speak for a majority of Millenial and Gen-Z girls when I say that Justin Bieber was our childhood. We all dreamed about being the “one less lonely girl” that he’d bring up on stage during one of his concerts. But while others graduated the era and moved on to new artists, I never grew out of my love for JB.
Beginning his career and life in the spotlight at age 13, Justin has gone through many difficult seasons over the years. He found himself getting into trouble often and was arrested for DUI in January of 2014. Along with his impish years, Justin wrestled with Lyme disease, which eventually contributed to the singer taking a break from his career. Bieber’s on and off relationship with singer Selena Gomez only made the road for him a bit more rocky. The couple finally called it quits for good in 2018 — two months before the engagement with his now wife, Hailey Baldwin (and unlike a lot of the haters, I’m a big fan of this relationship).
While Justin has made his fair share of mistakes over the years, he’s human just like the rest of us. He has completely owned up to his slip ups and bad behavior — something that I doubt many of us can say for ourselves. He’s apologized numerous times to the public and has even addressed his old ways many times in some of his latest songs. In “Lonely,” the singer opens up about growing up in the spotlight and being criticized for the things he did as an “idiot kid.” In another one of his latest hits with fellow pop sensation Shawn Mendes entitled “Monster,” the two artists sing about being put on a “pedestal” at such a young age and being expected to not make mistakes. “Made some bad moves tryin’ to act cool, upset by their jealousy… I’ll take responsibility for everything I’ve done,” Bieber sings.
Justin’s ability to be accountable for his actions in front of the whole world is just one of the many reasons why I highly respect him. Not only has he apologized for his past, he has truly made an effort to better himself and grow from his mistakes.
Unlike many other influencers, Justin is working hard to use his platform for good. He doesn’t hesitate to spread the Gospel and has made it very clear to his audience that his faith is very important to him. Rather than simply posting verses, he has been intentional about revealing his own journey with the Lord and sharing the ways in which God has worked in his life with his fans. It’s hard not to admire someone who isn’t ashamed of the Gospel in front of 161 million followers!
Since Justin has returned from his music break, he’s been dropping new songs left and right. Whether or not you’re a fan of Bieber, you can’t deny his talent. He’s a multi-instrumentalist with vocals that have only gotten better post-puberty. I think many of us Beliebers would say that it’s been pretty cool watching him rediscover his passion for music and fall in love with it all over again. This time around he is aiming to simply serve Jesus with the gift he has been given, and I’m here for it.
Some may say “Justin Bieber was sooo junior high,” but I am not ashamed to say that I will always stan the Biebs.
The Beat @APU 